Dead Sea salt, as removed from waters from the Dead Sea water, is a known component for various preferred end uses.
Biener U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,432 added such salts to magnesium halide, several alkaline earth metal salts and other cations as part of a composition for treating psoriasis.
Stravroff et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,145 mixed Dead Sea salts with some silicone oils and fragrances to serve as a moisturizing body “polisher”.
Maor et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,582,709 discloses a pharmaceutical cream composition for the treatment of skin disorders, said composition including about 1-6 wt. % Dead Sea mud as an active ingredient.
Lucenta U.S. Published Application No. 20110229419 mixed Dead Sea salt with sodium chloride for the prevention and healing of canker sores.
And Samuelson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 9,050,273 discloses using ultra fine Dead Sea mineral compounds in compositions for use in bath and body products.
Two other particularly pertinent references to natural deodorants include the herbal composition in Levin U.S. Pat. No. 6,436,415 and the topical composition of Gorman U.S. Pat. No. 7,736,632.
The Dead Sea is one of the most saline lakes in the world. It lies between the hills of Judaea to the west and the Trans-Jordanian plateaus to the east. The Jordan River flows from the north into the Dead Sea. About 2.5 million years ago, heavy stream flow into the lake deposited thick sediments containing shale, clay, sandstone, rock salt, and gypsum. After this, strata of clay, marl, soft chalk, and gypsum fell upon layers of sand and gravel.
Having no outlet, the Dead Sea is a “terminal lake” meaning that it loses huge amounts of water by evaporation in the hot dry air. The water has evaporated faster than it has been replenished by precipitation over the last 10,000 years. That results in the lake gradually shrinking to its present form. Because of this, bare deposits cover the Dead Sea valley to a thickness of 1 to 4 miles (1.6 to 6.4 km). This water evaporation has also resulted in high concentrations of salts and minerals in a unique composition particularly rich in magnesium, sodium, potassium, calcium, bromide and various other minor anions such as, e.g., sulfate.
The concentration of salt increases as one descends toward the bottom of the Dead Sea. Down to 130 feet (40 m), the temperature varies from 66 to 98° F. (19 to 37° C.), and the salinity is slightly less than 300 parts per thousand. At this depth, the water is particularly rich in sulfates and bicarbonates. There is a transition zone located between 130 and 330 feet (40 and 100 m). The lower waters below 330 ft (100 m) have a uniform temperature of about 72° F. (22° C.) and a higher degree of salinity (approximately 332 parts per thousand). This lower water contains hydrogen sulfide along with strong concentrations of magnesium, potassium, chlorine, and bromine. Below that level, the deepest waters are saturated with sodium chloride that precipitates to the bottom.
The lower waters of the Dead Sea are fossilized; they remain permanently on the bottom because they are very salty and dense. The upper waters date from a few centuries A.D.
The Dead Sea's mineral composition differs from that of ocean water, the salt in most oceans is approximately 85% sodium chloride while Dead Sea salt is only 12-18% sodium chloride. An analysis of major ion concentrations in the water of the Dead Sea gave the following results. (Reference 1)
The major ions in Dead Sea water are:
IonConcentration (mg/L)Chloride and Bromide230,400Magnesium45,900Sodium36,600Calcium17,600Potassium7,800
The Dead Sea's overall salt concentration is 340 g/L according to Reference 1. One study concluded that the high concentration of Mg in Dead Sea salt made it instrumental in improving skin hydration and reducing inflammation (Reference 2). According to Reference 3, the high concentration of bromide and magnesium in Dead Sea salt can cleanse and detoxify the skin and body. References 4 and 5 both address bathing in a Mg-rich, Dead Sea salt solution.